How to Change Oil

No matter what car you drive around Danvers, Peabody, or Salem, oil changes are critical for keeping your engine in prime condition. If you’re wondering how to change oil, simply follow the steps outlined below.

Oil changes are straightforward, if you know what you’re doing. At Ira Toyota of Danvers, we want to give you an easy-to-follow procedure that’ll make quick work of your next oil change! Schedule a service appointment to get started.

Oil Change Steps:

Raise the Vehicles

You can start by parking the car on a level surface, engaging the parking brake, and shutting off the engine. Then, if necessary, use a car jack to raise the car and jack stands to keep it secure. Never get under a car supported only by a car jack.

Find Your Oil Pan

Once you have the vehicle secured, put on safety glasses and crawl under the vehicle to find the engine’s oil pan. You can use the diagrams on your vehicle owner’s manual for reference if needed.

Next, find the oil drain plug. It’s a long bolt head at the bottom of the pan and removing it will let the oil drain from the pan. Position an oil catch pan or similar container under the plug (make sure it’s big enough to catch all the oil).

Remove Drain Plug

At this point, you can loosen the oil drain plug with a wrench and carefully remove it by hand. Oil will start flowing from the hole-allow several minutes for all the oil to drain out. Remember, the oil might be hot, so refrain from touching it with your hands. When the process is finished, reinstall the oil drain plug.

Change Oil Filter

Now, it’s time to change the oil filter, which is necessary for keeping your oil free from impurities. Locate the oil filter, position a container under it, and loosen the oil filter, letting any residual oil drain out of it. Remove the old filter completely.

Next, lightly coat the new oil filter and gasket with new oil, so it will fit smoothly against the engine. Turn the new filter clockwise to install it in place of the old and tighten according to the directions for your oil filter.

Add Engine Oil

All that’s left to do is add some new engine oil, and you’ll be set to go! Remove the oil filler cap and pour engine oil into the oil pan. Once you’ve replaced the cap, let the engine idle for about 30 seconds to check for visible leaks.

If everything looks okay, shut the engine off and lower the vehicle to the ground. You can check oil levels with the engine oil dipstick to confirm that you’ve added the proper amount. Now, you’re finished-you know how to change oil!

Schedule Oil Changes at Our Service Center

If you run into any problems during your DIY project, or you decide you’d rather have a professional from our service center handle the job, our team is just a call away. Contact us to schedule oil maintenance at the Ira Toyota of Danvers Service Center.

Our trained and certified technicians will have your oil and filter changed in no time, so you can return to the roads of Danvers, Peabody, and Salem with more confidence!